'Packed like sardines': Tenant given seven days to remove 15 cars from garden

A tenant in the UK is facing potential legal action after it was discovered he has been using the garden of his rental property as a scrapyard.

The renter, known only as Dean, was told to explain himself after his landlord, known only as Martin, counted 14 cars stacked in the back garden.

Martin called Dean out on the state of the yard after a neighbour complained, UK property strategist Jack Rooke said, airing the text message exchange in a TikTok video.

“Dean, I need to speak with you immediately. There are 14 cars crammed into the back garden. They’re packed in like sardines. Can you tell me what’s going on?” Rooke said, quoting Martin.

In reply, Dean didn’t initially see the need for concern.

“Fifteen actually, little one tucked in the corner, you missed it. What’s the problem?” Rooke quoted Dean as writing.

Martin explained that the problem stemmed from his garden being turned into a scrapyard.

Dean protested.

“It’s not your garden, it’s my garden. We rent it. Does that mean you can tell me how I use it? No, I don’t think it does,” Rooke quoted Dean as writing.

Martin then reminded Dean of his tenancy agreement.

“Yes, actually, it’s in the contract. Check clause 19 on garden maintenance,” Rooke said, reading Martin’s reply. 

“It states the garden must be kept tidy and well tended. What I saw today was oil leaking into the soil, tyres stacked like a wall and broken glass on the ground.”

Dean didn’t entirely agree.

“Come on Martin. They’re not hurting anyone. Literally doing zero harm,” Rooke quoted him as writing.

It was at this point Martin revealed details about the neighbours’ complaint.

“Not hurting anyone? The neighbours have already complained twice,” Rooke read out.

“One said their kid cut his hand climbing the fence because of the junk piled against it. The council can fine me for this. My insurance could be void.”

In response, Dean wrote: “Neighbours are nosey. They need to keep out of my business.”

Dean then reminded Martin that the cars being in the yard was only a temporary measure while he fixed them off and then sold them off.

But Martin wasn’t keen to wait for all 15 cars to end up with new owners.

“You need to find a new place for them now. The garden is supposed to be a safe, usable space. Right now it’s a hazard,” Rooke quoted Martin as writing.

Dean protested again.

“So what, you want me to get rid of every single one tomorrow? It doesn’t work like that,” Rooke said, reading out Dean’s reply.

Martin gave his tenant seven days to remove the cars. If it wasn’t done in that time, he told Dean he would “serve notice and claim damages”.

Dean stood his ground.

“You think a judge cares if I’ve got a few cars round back?” Rooke read out his quip.

Martin was having none of it.

“Fifteen cars, Dean. That’s not ‘a few’. Even one is a breach of tenancy. A judge will care about that. Get them gone,” Rooke said, quoting Dean.

It was left at that, with Rooke adding his own thoughts on the matter.

“Some people just don’t read contacts. Some people have zero respect,” he said. 

“There has to be respect between a landlord and the tenant. And the tenant here clearly doesn’t respect the property that he’s renting.”

Many of his almost 50,000 followers agreed. 

“For once I agree with the landlord,” one person wrote.

“Some of these people … I just wanna ask them ‘what did you think was gonna happen? Did you really think this was gonna end well?’” a second person shared.

Others didn’t.

“Suddenly I no longer feel bad about forgetting to weed my garden for a month,” one person wrote.

“God forbid a bloke has a hobby,” another person shared.